Evolution, transitions, and volvocine algae

Volvox, the Fierce Roller, is a model organism for the evolution of multicellularity and cellular differentiation.
I am a biologist who studies the evolution of biological complexity using Volvox and related algae as a study system. I blog about evolutionary biology, astrobiology, philosophy of biology, skepticism, academia and academic publishing, intelligent design and other forms of creationism, and whatever else happens to be on my mind.Read More…

Those of you who know me have probably heard me gripe about the sorry state of science journalism. This is how you do it, folks. The article, by Emily Singer, originated way back in June at AbSciCon. She fact-checked, read the relevant papers, developed a deep understanding of the subject matter, and contacted outside experts (Rick Michod, Ben Kerr, Rick Grosberg) for more than just money quotes. This is a deep dive into Will’s research that leaves clickbait headlines on the sidewalk and respects the readers’ intelligence.